World Neurosurg
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Vague spinal anatomical landmarks in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) make intraoperative insertion of pedicle screws difficult under direct vision. Currently, the clinical outcome is significantly improved with robot guidance. This study aims to explore the efficacy of robot-assisted pedicle screw insertion in treating AS combined with spinal fractures. ⋯ The study demonstrates statistically superior accuracy and surgical outcome of robot-assisted pedicle screw insertion in the treatment of AS complicated with spinal fractures compared with the traditional free-hand operation.
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Stereotactic brain biopsy is a crucial minimally invasive surgical technique leveraged to obtain tissue specimens from deep-seated intracranial lesions, offering a safer alternative to open craniotomy for patients who cannot tolerate the latter. Despite its effectiveness, the diagnostic yield varies across different centers and has not been widely studied in Sub-Saharan Africa. ⋯ The diagnostic yield rate from our study was somewhat lower than previously reported in contemporary literature, primarily attributed to the differing definitions of diagnostic yield, the dominant use of the older framed Cape Town Stereotactic System, computed tomography-based imaging, and the absence of intraoperative frozen section. Nevertheless, biopsies conducted using the frameless system were comparable with studies from other global regions. Our findings reaffirm that stereotactic brain biopsy when complemented with magnetic resonance imaging-based imaging, frameless stereotactic systems and intraoperative frozen section is a safe, effective, and reliable method for obtaining histological diagnosis.
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Pineal region tumors are challenging lesions in terms of surgical accessibility and removal.1 The complexity is compounded by the infrequency and heterogeneity of pineal neoplasms.2,3 In Video 1, we present the case of a 39-year-old woman who presented with progressive headaches and vision impairment. She underwent microsurgical resection for a pineal parenchymal tumor of intermediate differentiation. ⋯ Additionally, we discuss the unique anatomic considerations for each approach and include a virtual reality-compatible 3-dimensional fly-through to highlight the relationship between the tumor and relevant venous anatomy. The patient tolerated the procedure well with excellent neurologic outcome, and her follow-up imaging showed no evidence of tumor recurrence.
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This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of perceived social support and illness uncertainty in posttraumatic growth (PTG) and fear of progression (FoP) among young and middle-aged primary brain tumor (PBT) patients. ⋯ Illness uncertainty and perceived social support were identified as partially parallel mediators between PTG and FoP. Thus, we should ensure adequate social support and improve the enthusiasm and input of family members for better patient recovery. Strengthening the nursing support, reducing the uncertainty of young and middle-aged PBT patients, and improving the patients' PTG can help reduce the fear of disease progression.
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We describe the incidence of, and identify the risk factors for, a medial breach of the pedicle wall during robotic-assisted cortical bone trajectory (RA-CBT) screw insertion. ⋯ The incidence of pedicle wall medial breach was 3.8% of RA-CBT screws in the postoperative CT images. A low HU value measured in the L1 axial image, right-sided screw placement, and UIV were associated with an increased risk of medial breach for RA-CBT screw placement.